genes and psychiatry

two articles related to the involvement of specific genes in psychiatric conditions.

Marijuana receptor gene abnormality in schizophreniaResearchers from Japan show that the gene encoding the marijuana (also known as cannabinoid) receptor have triplet repeats that are different in schizophrenic patients when compared to healthy controls. This was particularly evident in a subtype of the disorder called hebephrenic schizophrenia. These data support the concept that a disruption of the body's own cannabinoid system (which is activated by marijuana) can be involved in schizophrenia.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have found evidence that men and women have different genes that anchor the roots of depression, a finding that could impact on the way doctors treat patients in the future. The researchers are the first to report the results of a systematic search for chromosomal regions that harbor genes that affect susceptibility to severe depression, the fourth leading cause of disability worldwide.